Spring Portrait Session

A few weeks ago our friend and photographer, Matt Lange, came over to take some spring portraits of William. He wasn't as smiley as usual that morning - little did we know he was getting sick and probably didn't feel the greatest. Nonetheless, Matt got some great shots! We got the proofs last night. Here's a little sampling of his amazing work. Enjoy! (Matt's an extremely talented photographer and great to work with. He's done lots of photographs of our family, including family shots on Tech's campus and Kent's and Emily's wedding. If you're interested visit http://www.mattlange.com/)

Weekend Fun

More to come later... but here are two pictures!

Walking!

I'm finally feeling much better. Today I was 100% William. And that makes Mommy & Daddy very happy! I had a great day. Mommy took me to playgroup at church this morning. Now that I'm crawling so well, I was really able to play and interact with the other children. Here are a few pictures from our time there.

Oh... and Mommy discovered Tooth #7 today. Apparently while I was sick and had sores all in my mouth, I also cut a new top tooth. Now that the sores are gone and my gums are no longer swollen, you can see the tooth. It's my second top-left tooth. Mommy hasn't gotten a good pictures of it yet, though.

And... as the headline says, I'm starting to walk. Assisted, but nonetheless, I'm taking steps! I've been pulling myself up to a standing position for several weeks. And in the past couple days, I've started "cruising," or walking along things like the sofa or ottoman. Yesterday, Grannie caught some video of me walking with my Baby Einstein toy. It's not meant for walking behind, but on the wood floors it slides, so it's a great start. Hopefully I'll master this soon and will be able to walk behind the dump truck toy Mommy and Daddy got me!

(Click on the videos to play!)

Under the Weather

Sorry Mommy hasn't had a chance to update my page lately. I've been pretty demanding of her time. Somewhere I managed to contract a virus, so I've been sick for about a week now.

It's a virus called the Coxsackie Virus, which causes a condition known as Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (known as HFMD). It's very common in infants and small children, but should not to be confused with Foot and Mouth Disease (found in horses). We have no idea where I picked it up, but since it's a virus it is transfered in the air and on surfaces.

This virus caused me to have small blister- and ulcer-like sores around the outside of my mouth, inside my mouth, and on my hands. I also had a fever from Thursday until yesterday. I seem to be on the recovery side of things now. I'm starting to eat a little more and play more. I've slept a lot and haven't eaten much food, though I've tried really hard to drink my milk from my bottles. I've slept a lot more than usual, but I've tried really hard to play and smile.

The first sign showed up Tuesday, but since I was cutting a tooth, Mommy thought that was why I was a little warm and had a bump on my mouth. But Thursday night my fever was higher, so Friday I went to see Dr. Reed - she confirmed Mommy's thought that it was HFMD. So all weekend Mommy and Daddy cuddled me and fed me lots of ice. Daddy found out that Sonic sell their ice in 5-lb bags - It's great!

Friday Paw-Paw and Grannie sent me some balloons! I think they're great! I was sleeping when they came, but when I woke up and Daddy showed them to me I got really excited and couldn't stop smiling! Daddy tied them all in different places around my room. When I go in there, I like to go around the room and hug each ballon. They're really fun! Then Saturday, Paw-Paw and Grannie came to stay with me for a while because Mommy and Daddy had some things they needed to take care of and didn't want to get me out of the house since I'm sick.

But, I'm feeling better now. I still have some of the sores, but they're starting to go away now. I'm still resting a lot and not eating too much more than my formula. But most importantly, I'm smiling a lot, playing, and giggling.

Hopefully the next several days will be better. Then Mommy can post something happier!

Riding the Carousel

Tuesday was Mardi Gras, so Mommy and Paw-Paw didn't have to work. So Paw-Paw came to visit me, and we went to the mall. There's a carousel at the mall. I've seen it many times when I go there with Grannie during the week, mostly when we meet Aunt Barbara to visit, have lunch, and walk around. I hear the buzzer and know to look because that means the horses are going to go around. But Tuesday I got to ride the horse!!! I rode with Mommy first, then Paw-Paw took me for a second round. So... now, if you're ever at the mall with me, make sure you have $2 so I can ride!

See how happy I am!

Here I am with Mommy getting ready to ride for the first time.

Grannie's taking my picture and I'm smiling really big!

I loved it so much, Paw-Paw took me back for a second round.

Because it was a holiday week, Mommy had to work on Friday. Grannie works on Fridays, too. Daddy was home all day, but he had some work to do, so Gram came to stay with me for a while.

Saturday, I got to go to a 1st Birthday Party for my friend, Finn, our neighbor. Ironically, Mommy and Daddy know our neighbor (Finn's mommy, Shelly) from LaTech. So I got to meet some of Mommy's friends from school at the party, too. Happy Birthday, Finn!!

Saturday night, we went to dinner with Grandpa and Mrs. Judy. And today, I had spring pictures taken by Mr. Matt - we're really excited to see how they turned out! It was a gorgeous sunny day, so we think they'll be great!

9 Months Old

As of Saturday, I'm officially 9 months old! I went to see Dr. Reed Friday afternoon. I'm now 26 lbs. 4 oz. and 33" long! My weight is now closer to the "normal" range for my age, but my height is still way off the charts. I guess I'm just a tall boy! I'm crawling very fast now, and am quickly finding my way around our house. When I hear the water running in the bathroom, I know it must be bathtime, so I make my way there very quickly! And I've figured out that some of the kitchen cabinets open, and I can make fun noises with Mommy's pots and pans!

This weekend was pretty low key. It was beautiful outside, so Mommy & Daddy took me to City Park Saturday afternoon. I had a great time on the slide. And I loved the swings! I even cried when they took me out of the swing.

Otherwise, it was a pretty low-key weekend. Mommy & Daddy did a lot of yardwork Sunday, so I got to spend lots of time outside. (And Daddy William-proofed all the cabinets, too!)

I'm feeding myself more and more. For breakfast I've been having either french toast or waffles (the kind that go in the toaster) with my yogurt. Now I'm wanting to share my food with whoever is feeding me, too! And mid-meal, I like to turn my head sidways. I won't eat again until they turn their head, too!

A Cow Says Mooo!

Mommy's friend, Ms. Kori, is a 4-H agent, so she's been in town all week for the state livestock show. We met her for lunch today. After lunch, we went back to teh show with her. She took me around to see all the animals. I had such a great time seeing all tof them - mostly cows. She knew someone with a baby Hosltein calf - the black and white dairy cow. The calf is only about 5 months old. I got to pet him and had a great time!

Rides at the Mall, a New Friend

This past Sunday Mommy took me to the mall in Gonzales to get some new shoes. Grannie & Paw-Paw were driving back from New Orleans, so they met us there. They let me ride on two of the kiddie rides while we were shopping. I had a great time!

And Sunday, Grandpa's step-daughterLoren and her husband Josh welcomed their son Brayden into the world!

Congratulations, Josh & Loren! Welcome Brayden!